The Fountain City Brass Band will perform with the Fountain City Youth Academy Youth Band at 5 p.m. today at Auer Hall, located in the Simon Music Center.
Based in Kansas City, Mo., and attracting musicians from all over the United States, the Fountain City Brass Band is a group dedicated to cultural enrichment.
This ensemble has competed globally since its founding in 2002. They have been North American Brass Band champions four times, U.S. Open Brass Band Champions seven times and were the first Americans ever to win a major brass band competition in the United Kingdom when they attended the Scottish Open Brass Band Competition in 2009, according to the Fountain City Brass Band’s Facebook page.
The Fountain City Brass Band is once again on its way to the North American Brass Band Championship in Fort Wayne this year. But before they play for the championship, there will be a scheduled performance in Bloomington where the ensemble will play and test new material, Joseph Parisi, the band’s music director, said in an email.
“They were featured at the International Tuba Euphonium Association Convention in the (Musical) Arts Center last May in Bloomington and received a standing ovation,” said Daniel Perantoni, a provost professor at Jacobs School of Music, in an email.
Brass bands are very popular in Europe as well as the United States, Perantoni said. He said he hopes when the Fountain City Brass Band comes to play, “they will be an inspiration to all brass musicians.”
The Fountain City Brass Band has played everything from opera, jazz, modern compositions and Broadway numbers in its concerts. By doing this, the group aims to “bridge the gap” between classical and popular music styles, according to its Facebook page.
The ensemble will play Edward Gregson’s “Variations on ‘Laudate Dominum” and Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” Also, the group will perform two 15-minute-long pieces in preparation for their championship: Thomas Doss’ “Spiriti,” a required piece, and Philip Harper’s “The Divine Right,” which is the band’s “own choice” piece, Parisi said.
This event is open and free to the public.
“I think the crowd will be impressed with the level of performance put upon every member of this 30-plus member group,” Parisi said.
